Zelenskyy: French soldiers "will not be dying in Ukraine"
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that French soldiers "will not be dying in Ukraine" and that as long as Ukraine holds on, they are unlikely to have to risk their lives defending any NATO country.
Source: Zelenskyy on BFMTV, commenting on French President Emmanuel Macron's statement about the potential for sending allied troops to Ukraine in the future, European Pravda reports
Details: "As long as Ukraine is standing, the French army will be on the territory of France. But if Putin goes to war against a particular NATO country, then NATO countries will decide how and in what numbers to send or not to send their soldiers, their armies, combat brigades and battalions," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
He was further asked what he would say to French people who fear that France or other European countries will be drawn into the war and are worried "that their children would die in Ukraine".
"Your children will not die in Ukraine. If Russia invades NATO countries, then your children may be sent to the territory of a NATO country. And this is another issue. And this will be an allied decision, within the framework of NATO," Zelenskyy said.
He added that Ukraine does not need foreign military involvement, but it would be interested in the presence of foreign instructors and technical personnel from countries that provide military support for Ukraine.
Background:
- French President Emmanuel Macron said after a meeting in Paris on Monday that he had not ruled out sending Western troops to Ukraine in the future, although he emphasised that there is currently no consensus among the allies. The French government later explained that the participation of foreign troops in the fighting was out of the question.
- At the same time, Macron's statements provoked a negative reaction from the governments of the allied countries, whose leaders were quick to assure that they would not send any troops to Ukraine.
- He later added that his words had been carefully considered.
- Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba believes that French President Emmanuel Macron's statement has triggered a discussion that will "save Europe a lot of time" in realising that it has to do more to support Ukraine.
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